I've certainly heard some interesting excuses for kids not doing their homework over the year.  Usually some variation of "I didn't have time" (certainly not with all that video game playing and tv watching!).

This week, one of my girls told me that she hadn't been able to do her homework because, quote, "I had to sleep last night."

So I thought it would be apt to report this list from a while back.  Enjoy, and feel free to add your own!

Keep those classrooms clean, people!

Today's guest post comes from Lauren Ray.  She writes with some suggestions for teachers on keeping their classrooms clean and neat throughout the year.

Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Classroom Maintenance For Teachers

Schools across the country have re-opened for a brand new year. Your classroom probably started clean as a whistle, but after a few weeks back, you've probably noticed that clutter has made its way back. As a teacher, there are a number of things you can do to maintain an organized, functional learning space throughout the school year. Make sure your classroom stays safe, stocked, and ready for learning with these tips!

·        Check your classroom furniture. Check your desk supply to ensure it stays stocked with plenty of paper and pens. Do weekly checks of your desk to ensure that all of the legs are intact, drawers work effortlessly, and there are no major scratches or dents on the surfaces. You should also check any shelving units that you have around the classroom to ensure they are properly anchored to walls, and that all screws and nails are in place. Also examine the construction of student's desks or tables throughout the school year. Anything out of the ordinary should be fixed so that students who enter the classroom avoid injury.

·        

      Check your classroom's safety. Similarly each week, you should check for any questions of classroom safety. Make sure than any cords, wires, and other tripping hazards are tucked away or taped down to the floor. Keep heavy books on low bookshelves to prevent them from toppling down onto a student. Most importantly, check that all of the outlets, lights, and other electrical components are working in your classroom.  If a bulb is missing or not working properly, or any wiring is exposed in your classroom, let the janitorial staff at your school know so they can have the problem fixed as soon as possible. Exposed wires and unprotected outlets can potentially be dangerous to students, so having these problems addressed should be a top priority.

·        Keep your classroom stocked for students. Before you head to the store, take an inventory of the supplies you already have. Check pens and markers to make sure they still have ink, and pencils and crayons to make sure there's still enough left of them to use! Toss any supplies that might be broken or too worn to use, as well as scraps of paper or dated assignments that are no longer relevant. Then, create a list of supplies you'll need to pick up at the store. Many office supply stores offer discounts to teachers, so be sure to ask about those types of loyalty programs when you shop. 

·        Give your classroom a quick clean. While your school probably has a custodial staff and cleaning systems set in place, you may want to give your classroom a quick dusting at the end of each week, just to freshen up the space. Clear away clutter from shelving units and desktops. Use a minimalistic approach when decorating your classroom. If you want to hang a recent assignment on the wall to boost classroom morale, hang it up! Consider using decorative pieces sparingly to avoid clogging the walls with too much distraction. Your desktop should be clear and ready for you to work at the following week, so toss any scraps of paper or past assignments that are no longer needed. -

Make sure your classroom is a safe, healthy learning environment throughout the entire year with these cleaning tips.

Win a LMG flash drive!

A few weeks ago, Jeff from USB Memory Direct, where they make custom flash drives, sent me several really awesome Learn Me Good flash drives, and now I'd like to give a few away!

These flash drives are cool, compact, and practical.  They fit on a key ring, and they hold up to 8 gigs!

Here's how you can win one of these limited edition Learn Me Good flash drives.  Beginning today, September 21st, and going through Friday, October 2nd, entries into the raffle can be earned as follows:

1 (ONE) entry earned by taking and posting a picture of yourself holding a copy of one of my books.  Be creative!

2 (TWO) entries earned by posting a video about Learn Me Good or Learn Me Gooder.

5 (FIVE) entries earned by posting a picture or video of a celebrity holding and/or talking about one of my books. *



* I reserve judgement on what constitutes a celebrity.

Pictures and videos can be posted directly to the Learn Me Good Facebook page, Learnmegood.com, or Youtube.  They can also be emailed directly to me - learnmegood2@yahoo.com.  By entering this contest, you agree to allow me to repost any pictures/videos/statements you submit.  Don't worry, I won't put your face on a pillow case. :)

The final day for entries will be Friday, October 2nd.  Sometime during that weekend, I will pull names from the raffle.  I will be giving away at least one and up to five flash drives, depending on the number of entries.

I wish you all good luck, and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I don't think that's what she meant...

Yesterday in the cafeteria, a little girl punched a boy in the arm. I talked to her and she said she did it because the boy was being mean to her. I told her that telling a teacher was a better idea than punching someone. She shook her head and argued, "No, my teacher last year told me I needed to be a problem solver!"

Yeah, I doubt that's what she meant for you to do...

Some interesting thoughts on the population explosion

Friday, I was letting the kids explore a really cool website called worldometers that keeps rolling tallies of statistics like how many births and deaths were on that day, how many books were published on that day, how many emails had been sent on that day, and so on and so on. It's petty cool to see how quickly the numbers increase for each statistic. 

The top stat is world population, and I pointed out that it was well over 7 billion people. 

One of my girls remarked, "That's all because of Iraq and Israel, isn't it?"

I truly didn't know how to reply to that...

Not the kind of scaffolding I was hoping for

Two guys were up on a ladder directly outside my 2nd floor classroom window this morning doing some kind of "maintenance" that sounded like ritualistic animal sacrifice. 

Next time, I hope they have the decency to hold up math facts posters so the kids will learn something while they completely ignore their teacher.

Week 2 in Review

Ah, the first 3 day weekend of the year!  I know it's only been two weeks of school so far, but it already feels super nice to have an extra day off.  Things are always so hectic and packed at the beginning of the year, and this time has been no different.

Now that September has begun, it sure is nice of RaceTrac to offer a card for teachers to get a free coffee or soda every day.  My friends back in Dallas ISD tell me they never received one, and that doesn't surprise me, unfortunately.  But looking on Twitter with the hashtag #teachertracfanatic -- it looks like lots of teachers in other districts have.

We hosted curriculum night in the school cafeteria Thursday evening.  I always get really nervous speaking in front of a group of adults, while I could talk to a sea of students without batting an eye.  I talked about bringing dry snacks and said that if fruits were wet, they should try not to be so wet.  I can only hope the parents were laughing WITH me and not AT me.

I gave out the first challenge question of the year - and the first for this new group.  It's a word problem for homework assigned Monday and due Friday.  The problem itself was pretty simple, but I really emphasized the correct use of steps, including drawing a picture and writing a complete answer sentence.  Not all submissions were 100% perfect, but the results were better than I could have expected, with only TWO out of my 55 kids not turning anything in, and less than 8 submissions missing a step.

I also gave the first note card quiz of the year, so some of the first kids got to see that I'm not bluffing when I say I will take points off for not showing work, regardless of whether the answer is correct or not.  I also learned that I might be taking a little bit for granted, having had the same group of kids for the past two years and them being used to my expectations.  One of my questions asked for the place value of a certain digit in a certain number.  The kids knew that they had to use a place value chart to receive full credit, and while most of them had a wonderful chart with the digit in exactly the right place, a LOT of them forgot to actually write the answer along with it. 

And finally, tell me if this conversation sounds familiar to any of you...

Me:  OK, now that we've completed all of the steps and gotten our answer, please raise your hand if there's something you don't understand about any of these steps or something you need us to go over again.  Are there any questions?
Student:  When are we going to the library?
Me:  Are there any questions about the math problem we just went over???

Now you are playing with power!

A few weeks ago, Jeff at USB Memory Direct, where they make custom flash drives, contacted me and asked if I'd like some customized flash drives in exchange for a shout out here on the blog.

Of course, I said you betcha!  Jeff and I corresponded back and forth, he showed me what various pics would look like printed on a little drive, and I finally settled on what I liked.  They arrived in the mail a few days ago, and I have to say, they are pretty freaking awesome!

I plan on giving a few of these bad boys away pretty soon, and I'm still thinking up how I want to do that.  So stay tuned for how to win one!  But before too much time had passed, I wanted to give Jeff and USB Memory Direct their shout out!

Thanks, guys!

First week reflections

The first week of school is in the books for another year, and it was as exhausting, trying, and exhilarating as usual.  Here are a few highlights:


I gave the kids a pop quiz Monday.  It wasn't for a grade, and it didn't even involve any math.  It was really a get-to-know-me icebreaker.  I asked 5 questions about myself that I knew most of the kids wouldn't know, but we had fun with the guesses.  When I asked how old I was, some kids were very kind, guessing ages in the 20s and 30s, while only one guessed anything beyond 50 (53).  Nobody guessed 212, so I was pleased.

Tuesday, I was told that I shouldn't wear pants because it's too hot.  I took care of that problem as soon as I got home.  I was also asked at recess if I had any balls.  This was not because I jumped up onto a table top at the sight of a cockroach, but rather because I hadn't brought any sports equipment down to the playground.

Friday was full of fun, random events.  A little girl asked if I was wearing a wig.  This, despite me getting a very short haircut Wednesday evening.  I heard some kids trash talking at recess.  "I'm gonna tickle you so hard, your momma will feel it!"  Followed immediately by, "Just kidding!"  It was very sweet, gentle trash talk.  Oh, and then there was the boy who screamed at the top of his lungs, "I LOVE YOU, MISTER TEACHER!!  YOU'RE THE BEST MATH TEACHER EVER!!!" before giving me a huge hug.

What will the second week bring?  Only time will tell.

Hey, don't forget you can take 15% off of all t-shirt prices with the code FAVSHIRT from today through Tuesday!

Guest Post: 5 Best Mobile Apps for Elementary Students

Today's guest post is from Joy Miller, who writes for Accelerated-Degree.com.  She talks about her top 5 apps for kids grades K-5.  Note that these are not all free, so they might not be a fit for schools, but rather on a case-by-case basis. 

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

5 Best Mobile Apps for Elementary Students

As a teacher, connecting with kids these days is harder than ever. With seemingly every 10 to 12 year old student having access to smartphones and tablets, the old notion of “hands-on” learning has fallen by the wayside. However, just because the mobile revolution is in full swing, that doesn’t mean that you are out of luck when it comes to incorporating these tools into your daily lessons. By recommending the five best mobile apps to your students detailed below, you’ll have everything you need to keep the learning experience fresh and exciting.

#1 Mobile App - Explain Everything

Available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play Store, and via the Microsoft Store, Explain Everything is the quintessential app for screencasting and interactive whiteboard experiences. This tool allows you – or any student with a willingness to explore their creative side – to annotate, animate, and even narrate selections as you create educational movies and tutorials.

Additionally, teachers and students who utilize Explain Everything also have access to unique slide creation, freeform drawing capabilities, and even a laser pointer that helps highlight prime points during a lesson or presentation. For all of this functionality, Explain Everything will only set you back $3.99 in the various app and platform-oriented stores.

#2 Mobile App - Book Creator

One of the most enjoyable experiences for an elementary aged student is sitting down for story time and ending up immersed in a fantastical tale or adventure. Now, imagine if you could recreate this experience on your iPad or Android device with unique and original content?

If this sounds like something that deserves a spot in your classroom, then Book Creator is the app for you. With the ability to create multimedia eBooks that combine narration, audio, visual, and text offerings, this tool is ideal for children’s picture books, school projects, and more. Perhaps the most impressive function found within this app – which costs $4.99 on both Apple and Android devices – is the ability to send these unique creations home with students so that parents and other family members can join in on the fun.

#3 Mobile App - ThingLink

In an attempt to do away with the passive nature of viewing multimedia on mobile devices, ThingLink stands as the premiere interactive imagery app. The images generated on this tool – which is offered free of cost on both the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store – offer access to integrated notes, links, other embedded images, and even YouTube videos. Simply put, ThingLink turns even the most generic of visuals into an interactive platform for learning.

#4 Mobile App - Motion Math: Zoom

This popular math game teaches students of varying educational levels mathematic properties, principles, and sequences via a system that incorporates fun visuals and eye-catching imagery. Although this app is currently only available on the iTunes store (at a cost of $2.99), Motion Math: Zoom serves as an invaluable tool for teachers dealing with young students who struggle with core mathematic concepts. As you probably already know, any time you’re able to take abstract concepts – like decimals and fractions – and turn these ideas into a game, you’ve scored a major victory with the young minds in your class.

#5 Mobile App - Sock Puppets

The final addition to this list, Sock Puppets, is definitely one of the more enjoyable and exciting inclusions. As a way to direct original sock puppet plays from your iPad, Sock Puppets turns otherwise dull lessons into engaging – and sometimes silly – narratives.

All you have to do once you download the free app is select a few sock puppets for the leading roles, pick out a prop or two, and start recording your voice for the speaking parts. The app even has the power to add a “squeaky” effect to your voice via configurable audio elements, thereby ensuring that your characters come to life in a way that’s sure to have your elementary students glued to the action.

Closing Thoughts

Naturally, the list covering apps that stand out as great tools for elementary aged children could go on and on. However, these five selections rise above the rest as leaders in this field. From offering up new forms of visual interaction and engagement, to providing a helping hand as your students tackle math and other tough subjects, you’ll be hard pressed to find better mobile options to add to your next lesson plan.

About the author

As owner of the higher education site http://www.accelerated-degree.com, Joy Miller researches and reviews colleges offering accelerated classes and degrees, connecting students with programs that match their educational goals and career interests.

1st Day Quotes

As first days of school often do, today provided a couple of very interesting quotes from my kids. Some things my kids said that really stood out and really sound odd out of context. 

Frankly, they sound weird IN context. 

First off, it was incredibly hot and humid today. Everyone was sweating like a pig, and a lot of the kids didn't even play at recess, instead choosing to congregate in the little shaded area near the playground. 

One of my kids this afternoon said, "No wonder you're so hot-you're wearing pants!  Tomorrow, don't wear pants!"

Uh, I think the schoolboard would frown on me not wearing pants. 

(And for the record, she meant I should wear shorts instead. If only I could!)

Also at recess, a boy walked right up to me and asked, "Do you have any balls?"

I gave my stock response (yes, I've received similar questions before) of "Excuse me?"

He wanted to know if I had any sporting equipment he could borrow. 

First days of school. Always keep you on your toes. 

20 things NOT to do on the first day of school

Tomorrow is the first day of school in the Dallas area, so here are some things that are most definitely not on my lesson plans, and should not be on yours, either!

                                    20 Things NOT to do on the first day of school

20)         Decide not to learn all of your children's names and just call them all "Kid."

19)         Come to school dressed as the Quaker Oats Guy. Some teachers like to dress in costume, but   nobody likes a corporate shill.  Plus, that guy is really creepy.

18)         Update your Facebook status every 10 minutes.

17)         Lecture the kids on how you could've had a successful career as a pit crew chief.

16)         Pester the students for their honest review of your screenplay about intelligent rodents and the women who love them.

15)         Mention Donald Trump in any context.    

14)         Attempt the Cinnamon Challenge, or anything else with the word “Challenge” in it.

13)         Put on a viewing of The Godfather.

12)         Do a read aloud using any Stephen King book.

11)         Brainstorm ways to survive in prison.

10)         Ask kids to write an essay on the meaning of life.

9)            Take the kids for a walk to the local quick-change oil lube joint.

8)            Show off your prowess as an X-treme sport fanatic.

7)            Make the kids try out for a spot on the school Quidditch team.

6)            Sculpt Devil’s Tower out of mashed potatoes while mumbling, “This is important.  This means something.”

5)            Reenact the 100 Years War.

4)            Set off fireworks in the cafeteria.

3)            Consult a dog-eared, page-marked Slovakian-to-English dictionary every 5 minutes.

2)            Give the kids money for ANY reason.

1)            Walk into the classroom at 8 o'clock, stare hard at the kids, and say, "You know what to do," and then leave the room for 4 hours.

Go team!

Today we in meetings for most of the time, whether "nuts and bolts" type staff stuff, discussing the new RtI format, or talking with teammates about how many pencils each kid should be carrying when they walk into the room each day.

I did have a small amount of time to work in/on my classroom though, and one of the things I accomplished was the display about my classroom door.  Here's what it looks like:

Much like the Great Wall of China, the Great Rift Valley, and the Great Tuft of Hair on Donald Trump's head are visible from space, this signage about my door is visible from all the way down the hall, so I got that goin' for me.

Our theme this year is all about teams, teamwork, and maybe even teams of oxen, so I feel like my room now adequately fits in. 

We got our school t-shirts today, and they look really cool!  They're a neat shade of blue, they feel nice and soft, and the name of the school is stylishly written on it in sporting team fashion.  Here's a selfie of me wearing mine:

Tomorrow is Hump Day!  See you then!

Twas the night before in-service

Well, the day has arrived.  That day I've been dreading for months. 

That's right, it's the day before teachers report back to school.

Now, I know that teachers in other states have been back for a while, and private school here in Texas even has already started.  I'm only speaking for myself here, though I have a feeling that teachers everywhere either HAVE gone through the same dreadful day I'm facing, ARE going through it with me today, or WILL go through it sometime soon.

For some reason, it seems especially hard for me to flip my brain into back-to-school mode this year.  Part of it is that I've really relished having time to be with my 3 year old son all summer long (including me, yes, the DADDY, doing most of his potty training).  Part of it is that I'll be getting a brand new group of students this year, after looping up and being with the same kids for the past two years.  Part of it is going back to 4th grade to find a brand new curriculum from when I last taught 4th grade.

And, if I'm totally honest, a HUGE part of it is that I am a very lazy person when you get right down to it, and I really enjoy staying up late, sleeping in, and lounging around the house with very little responsibility other than keeping a 3-year-old and myself alive and relatively clean.

Yet now I have to scrub all that and get back into the mindset of actually thinking!  And encouraging children to think as well!

Good thing they give us a week of in-service to ease ourselves back in!  A week to get used to waking up early and being present physically while still being able to zone out mentally and not have to do all that much thinking.  Unless my principal is reading this, in which case it's a week of totally immersing myself in rigorous planning and brainstorming for best practices.  :)

New for this year...

1)  The school was finally able to implement its 1:1 iPad program towards the end of last year, so we will be beginning school with iPads for all this year.  We had some bandwidth and connectivity issues last year, but overall I really like the kids having iPads as it opens up a whole new world of resources and activities.  I was never great with finding a way to adequately share and utilize 3 desktops and a couple of macbooks with my class last year.  But now, EVERY kid can watch Fast and Furious trailers on YouTube at the same time! 

2)  Nearly all of the existing furniture was thrown out in June.  Old desks, gone.  Old chairs, gone.  Lots of tables, gone.  In their place, we got a smorgasbord of new-fangled furniture.  There are white board topped flip tables.  There are puzzle piece desks.  There are couch section chairs with footstools.  There are stools that allow you to wobble, which reverse to prevent wobbling.  And there are individual swiveling chairs that remind me of the gun turret from the Millennium Falcon. 

I'm not really sure how I feel about the new furniture right now.  While the old desks were clunky and heavy, they had a lot of storage space, and with 3 sections of kids, I need storage space.  Every kid has a folder, a thinking journal, a spiral notebook, and a couple of workbooks.  I liked to keep a white board and an eraser at each desk as well, for use by everyone who sat at that desk.  The new furniture has no storage at all.  Well, the Millennium Falcon chairs do have a sort of saucer that they sit on which technically COULD store some stuff, but it would be like trying to store 15 calculators in a frisbee.

So if anyone out there has any experience with/suggestions for efficiently keeping multiple classes' worth of books and supplies, let me know.  I'm thinking I'll probably have to collect and distribute them all every class period...

I'm also not sure how the kids will react to having different styles of seating.  Will everyone want to sit with a group at the white board tables?  I only have 4, and they seat 4 each.  Will kids get made if they can't (or if they have to) sit at one of the puzzle piece desks?  Will anyone hate sitting in the swivel chairs?  Or will they all want to sit there, just so they can spin in class all day and not pay attention?

I am of course bringing up all of the perceived negatives to the new furniture.  Hopefully the practical positives will present themselves immediately once school actually starts.

3)   This will be the first year since I've been at my new school where I haven't had a date scheduled to fly to California and play Jeopardy.  When I started at this school, I got the call while setting up my classroom and had to convince my principal, whom I had just met, that I wasn't pranking her.  Last year, I knew in July that I'd be playing in October.

This year, no game shows lined up.  Sure, there's always the possibility that The Price is Right will call me up, but I'm not going to hold my breath.


So now I turn it over to you, my loyal readers.  I want both of you to leave a comment sharing how YOU felt or are feeling or will feel when it comes time for your night before reporting back to school.  I'll get the popcorn and look forward to reading.